#755 – Torr

I had an old 20 gallon aquarium I was getting rid of that was still full of water. I brought a shop-vac over to the counter that the aquarium was sitting on but the hose was too short. I took the hose off and opened the lid to the shop-vac’s reservoir. I put the hose into the aquarium and figured I could start a siphon with my mouth and then aim the water into the bucket. I underestimated the speed of gravity. I just barely started the water moving through the hose when I felt like someone had punched me in the face. I was stunned for a moment as gallons of water enveloped my head and poured onto the floor before I regained my senses and steered what was left into the bucket.

When I was kid, we could always tell when my father was changing out the water in his aquariums. he used a siphon, you see, so when we heard coughing, swearing and retching, followed by the clear rush of water hitting the bucket, we knew exactly what was happening. Siphoned water is always faster than you expect.

This is why I clean my aquarium with a turkey baster. It’s slower, but it’s safer.